Romance author Nicholas Sparks has shared his homemade chicken salad recipe and it's gaining attention on social media, but fans seem to be questioning certain ingredients in the dish.
In a recent interview, Sparks shared his chicken salad recipe, which started out as a standard recipe with rotisserie chicken, celery, and Vidalia onions.
But what caught people off guard was the addition of Splenda (16 packets to be exact).
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“You could use real sugar, but why throw in sugar when you can use Splenda?” Sparks said in an interview.
Some social media users criticized the novelist for incorporating sweet ingredients into the salad.
”[I’m] “Coming from the South, we're known for using an exorbitant amount of sugar, but I'd never thought of putting sugar in our chicken salad,” one user wrote on X.
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Another social media user commented: “This is the second most cursed book I read this morning.”
Nicholas Sparks' chicken salad recipe contains 8 to 16 sachets of the artificial sweetener Splenda. (St. Petersburg)
“This is going too far,” one “X” account wrote.
Sparks apparently noticed the confused reactions from her social media followers and decided to share the full recipe on her Instagram page.
“I often incorporate recipes into my novels, and a recent @NYTimes article mentioned a recipe I create and often make for myself. To my surprise, I found it online Since it's been getting a bit of attention, I thought I'd share the full recipe,'' Sparks captioned the video.
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In addition to the chicken, Sparks' salad includes large sweet onions, celery, dill relish, and diced jalapeños.
Sparks' recipe (not pictured) starts out like a standard chicken salad, then adds some diced jalapeños and a pack of Splenda. (St. Petersburg)
The mayonnaise mixture is made up of Duke mayonnaise, which Sparks says contains less sugar than Hellmann mayonnaise.
Then add apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and Splenda. The recipe in his Instagram post called for only eight bags, compared to the 16 required in the interview.
Even after Sparks revealed the full recipe, fans remain skeptical about his Splenda Chicken Salad.
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“Still not sure about Nicholas,” one Instagram account commented.
Nicholas Sparks fans are wondering about the ingredients in his chicken salad recipe. Some people think it tastes good, while others say that adding Splenda makes it ineffective. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
It seems not everyone is against Sparks' recipe. In fact, many people said they would like to try it.
One user commented, “Looks delicious.”
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Another Instagram user posted: “Oh my god, there's nothing I can't do…thanks for sharing. I love Splenda with my drinks. I have to try this.”
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This isn't the first time chicken salad has been in the spotlight in recent months, with reality TV star and Skinny Girl brand founder and CEO Bethenny Frankel reviewing various creations. This is because it became a hot topic.
Nicholas Sparks has sparked controversy on social media after sharing a chicken salad recipe (not pictured) that includes 16 packets of Splenda. (iStock/Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
Frankel's affinity for the dish has led many to call her the “Chicken Salad Influencer.”
She shares many videos in which she tries out variations of chicken salad and shares her own recipes.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Sparks' team for comment.
